Economic Growth & Cultural Vitality: City continues to seek partnership for future of Civic Auditorium
February 3, 2025 5:08 PM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Feb. 3, 2025) – The city of Santa Monica continues to pursue an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement, or ENA, with a development team to renovate, operate and program the shuttered Civic Auditorium.
An ENA is an agreement that provides a specified period in which the parties may conduct due diligence to evaluate the feasibility of a project and negotiate terms for a final agreement, in this case, a Disposition and Development Agreement, or DDA.
Under an ENA, the city agrees to negotiate with only one entity, Revitalization Partners Group, or RPG, to determine the feasibility for redeveloping the Civic Auditorium site. The ENA also sets forth agreed upon timelines/performance schedules, creates financial responsibilities and outlines future discussions.
The City Council directed staff to pursue an ENA with RPG on July 25, 2024, and staff presented a draft agreement to RPG on July 31, 2024.
The process of selecting the development team kicked off in late 2023 when the City Council directed staff to seek Letters of Interest from entities with demonstrated financial capacity and extensive redevelopment experience.
RPG was selected for the ENA based on their experience and financial wherewithal to renovate, operate and program entertainment venues that have historical attributes.
Once the ENA is signed by RPG, it must be approved by the City Council again if any terms have varied from what the Council had previously authorized. It will then clear the way for actual negotiations to begin, with the city and RPG defining the terms and project scope that are then put into a DDA.
The City Council met in closed session on two occasions, Dec. 17, 2024, and Jan. 28, 2025, to discuss the status of the ENA and authorized staff to continue working with RPG on the ENA.
As the Council is eager to see progress on the matter, and as the process began last July, the Council provided direction that they would like to see the ENA executed by Feb. 28, 2025. As of the date of this press release, RPG has yet to sign the ENA. Negotiations on the potential to revitalize the shuttered Civic Auditorium are not progressing.
Updates on the ENA process and project timeline will be posted at santamonica.gov/civic-auditorium.
Media Contact
Tati Simonian
Public Information Officer
Tati.Simonian@santamonica.gov
Categories
Council And Commissions, Historic Preservation, Strategic Priorities